Burbank, CA—Jun 27, 2005
The Walt Disney Studios and Dolby Bring Disney Digital 3-D™ to Selected Theaters Nationwide with Chicken Little on Dolby Digital Cinema
In a revolutionary collaboration with Dolby Laboratories, employing Dolby Digital Cinema combined with Industrial Light & Magic’s proprietary technology, Walt Disney Pictures debuts new 3-D TECHNOLOGY with CHICKEN LITTLE, its first all-CGI animated feature
Disney once again leads the film industry by introducing
Disney Digital 3D™, a brand new, state-of-the-art technology providing the
first true three-dimensional digital experience in movie theatres, with the
highly anticipated movie Chicken Little to be released on November 4, 2005. In
collaboration with Disney, Dolby Laboratories plans to install its Dolby®
Digital Cinema systems in approximately 100 specially-selected, high-profile
theatres in 25 top markets that will present the 3D film. Visual effects giant
Industrial Light & Magic (a Lucasfilm Ltd. company) will render the movie in 3D
so it can be played on Dolby Digital Cinema servers at selected theatres. This
joint effort will create the next leap forward in the evolution of motion
picture entertainment, bringing animation to life.
This historic debut of an entirely new release format will further define,
refine, and elevate the film art form and marks the first time a major motion
picture studio (Disney) has fully embraced a digital deployment plan. Disney
selected Dolby Digital Cinema, a state-of-the-art digital cinema presentation
system, to debut Chicken Little’s brand new proprietary CG animation process.
Dolby’s technology, combined with Industrial Light & Magic’s newly invented
method of creating digital 3D imagery, provides the first feature motion picture
presented in true digital 3D. Viewers of Chicken Little will experience this
revolutionary format with the use of special 3D glasses offering greater clarity
and more comfort than conventional 3D glasses.
Commenting on the announcement, Dick Cook, chairman, The Walt Disney Studios,
said, “Disney Digital 3D is a truly groundbreaking technology that combines the
latest innovations of science and art, and we are proud to be a part of
filmmaking history. Our proprietary, state-of-the-art CG animation process used
to make Chicken Little and future animation projects will finally allow
moviegoers to experience true digital three-dimensional entertainment in
theatres.” Cook continued, “Walt Disney pioneered many technological
breakthroughs and set an uncompromising goal for his Studio to constantly push
the envelope to offer a superior movie going experience. We are very proud to
add this animation milestone to the long list of technological breakthroughs for
the studio, and we are especially thrilled to work with entertainment technology
leader Dolby in this exciting launch. Likewise, we are proud to have the wizards
at Industrial Light & Magic to help deliver the movie in 3D.”
“Disney and Dolby’s commitment to digital cinema paves the way for a large scale
digital cinema deployment,” said Tim Partridge, Senior Vice President and
General Manager, Professional Division, Dolby Laboratories. “Dolby is a trusted
brand for providing technologies that dramatically improve the moviegoing
experience, and Disney has a fantastic reputation for delivering incredible
movies to audiences worldwide. This is a great collaboration between both
companies to launch Chicken Little on Dolby Digital Cinema.”
ILM President Chrissie England said, “The digital 3D release of Chicken Little
is a very exciting chapter in Hollywood history as it marks the next generation
of moviemaking. We are delighted to participate with Disney in setting a new
benchmark for the future. We are pleased that Chicken Little is the first
animated movie to use our new process using Disney’s actual 3D models,
animation, and camera data. This process allows us to provide a richer, more
nuanced viewing experience for moviegoers than any existing postproduction
techniques. We feel audiences will embrace this experience as the new standard
in animated features.”
